Igor Sechin chose not to show up for questioning for the third time today, on November 22. The Rosneft CEO is a witness in the case against the former Economic Development Minister Alexey Ulyukaev. This time Sechin sent a notice to the court that said he would be very busy since he had a trip to Khanty-Mansyisk Autonomous District together with Dmitry Medvedev.

The court received another letter from Sechin’s lawyer, who notified the court that Igor Sechin would not be able to attend the session until the end of 2017. The reason for this is Sechin's very tight schedule that does not allow him squeezing the testimony in. The letter encloses supporting documents about Sechin's business trips to the APEC summit, to Sochi and to the Khanty-Mansyisk Autonomous District. The letter also says that the head of Rosneft does not mind testifying in court in general.

The Rosneft head missed November 13 and November 15 court sessions earlier. On November 13 Sechin took part in the Russia-Turkey talks, and on November 15 he was in a business trip. The spokesperson for the Prosecutor General's Office said he hoped Sechin would eventually come to testify. According to him, business trips "are never that long".

Ulyukaev's lawyer noted that in case Sechin does not come after all, the court could read the testimony he gave during the preliminary investigation.

Igor Sechin is a key witness in the bribery case against ex-Minister of Economic Development Alexey Ulyukaev. According to investigators, Ulyukaev solicited $2 million from Sechin promising the Ministry of Economic Development would give approval allowing Rosneft to acquire the state-owned stake in Bashneft.